Mobile Wireless Operators Rapidly Building Next-gen Networks

Europe UK : Mobile operators will create their next generation networks using a range of wireless broadband and cellular technologies, including W-CDMA, WiFi, and WiMAX, says a new report by Infonetics Research.

And they’re moving fast. According to the study (Service Provider Plans for Next Gen Mobile and Wireless Broadband), the 18 North American, European, and Asia Pacific carriers interviewed spent an average of $2.9 billion in 2005 on next gen mobile and wireless broadband equipment, and will spend $4.1 billion in 2007, a 41% increase.

Mobile users want to replicate their wireline broadband experience on the go, driving 3G uptake. This will push carriers to spend a healthy proportion of their next gen mobile and wireless broadband capex on upgrading from 2.5G to 3G base station systems.

"The range of available applications accessible via a mobile handset is going to rapidly expand over the coming years," said Richard Webb, directing analyst at Infonetics Research. "For example, most of our respondents offer mobile/wireless VPN services by 2007, interactive gaming is offered by 83% of respondents by 2007, and caller ID, unified and multimedia messaging, and video download/playback all grow to 72% by next year. Not surprisingly, IP-based multimedia and video services are expected to be the bedrock of future revenue growth."

Sample Findings
The top 3 drivers for adopting next gen mobile or wireless broadband are: bundling with other services, reducing opex, and offering new applications
The top 2 top drivers for deploying IMS and next gen voice equipment are: availability of new applications and services, and lower operational costs
22% of respondents have deployed the fixed WiMAX standard (802.16d), growing to 50% by 2007
6% of respondents offer bundled VoIP with WiFi now, growing to 44% by 2007
3G and WiMAX show the most dramatic growth by 2007 among wireless backhaul solutions, possibly indicating a trend away from fixed-line solutions

The number of 3G base stations deployed by respondents nearly triples between 2006 and 2007, driven by operators’ intent to offer video and mobile IPTV services

According to survey respondents, key 3G infrastructure design requirements include high quality video capabilities, fast network reactivity, high session rate, and high capacity
Evolution from 3G to 4G will be driven by services that offer better quality, greater bandwidth, more sophistication, and improved personalization

The study takes an in-depth look at service providers planning to offer next-gen mobile (3G), WiFi, and emerging wireless broadband services and the impact that the IMS architecture will have on their networks. The study covers the drivers, challenges, strategies, expenditures, technology choices, and manufacturer preferences of these providers. Major next gen mobile and wireless broadband network equipment manufacturers were rated by respondents based on technology, product roadmap, reliability, service and support, and pricing. The resulting manufacturer scorecards are included in the report.

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